Predatory fish can be extraordinarily sensitive to water-borne substances, for example odors and flavors emanating from natural prey. When fish detect these food odors and flavors, primarily through their senses of smell and taste, they initiate specific food search behaviors that enhance the fish's chances of locating and consuming the food. The overt responses of fish to food odors and flavors have been frequently noted by inventive anglers seeking to increase their catch rates. Numerous patents describe assorted strategies for incorporating various odorous materials into or onto fishing baits and lures. These include patents for directly embodying the attractive gents in a fully or partially water-soluble bait matrix (for example, see Walldov U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,048 (1959); Faber & Kent U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,592 (1987); Vickers U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,385 (1987); Wolford & Greminger U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,247 (1988); De Wan U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,430 (1990); Prochnow U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,277 (1992)), or an essentially water-insoluble bait matrix (for example, see FitzSimons U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,778 (1961); Carr U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,420 (1981); Carr U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,018 (1984); Larew U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,179 (1985); Smith & Daigle U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,821 (1986); Lindgard U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,766 (1988); Brown & Drebot U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,383 (1988); Sibley U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,376 (1989); Carver U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,183 (1991); Riley U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,703 (1991); McCain U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,895 (2000)). Other strategies include various topical applicants for applying attractive odors and flavors to the surfaces of baits and lures (for example, see Prochnow U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,691 (1989); Bethshears U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,829 (1989); Davis U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,466 (1990); Orazio & O'Brien U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,643 (1990); Cobb, Jacobsen & Lupia U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,930 (2004)) and specific scent dispersing systems designed into the bait or lure (for example, see Steele U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,167 (1988); Stone U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,349 (2004)).
The use of artificial polymer-based soft baits in fishing is common, due in part to the high effectiveness of these baits at catching fish. A number of different factors contribute to this effectiveness. For one, soft polymeric baits provide a soft texture and high flexibility that are more compatible with fish oral acceptance than are fish baits made from harder materials, such as wood, metal, and hard plastic. Another contributing factor is the fact that soft baits can be molded or otherwise fashioned into a plethora of different shapes and sizes that are amenable to a wide variety of fishing presentations. Many of these shapes are designed to express specific actions, or swimming performances, when retrieved through the water. To maximize these actions it is especially preferred that soft polymeric baits not only remain soft and flexible but also avoid kinks, bends, and other physical distortions that detract from the desired action of the bait. Still another factor is that soft polymeric baits can be loaded with various attractive odors and flavors that fish find appealing through their exquisite senses of smell and taste.
Owing to the nature of the base polymers from which they are made, soft artificial polymeric fish baits generally fall into one of two categories: those that are hydrophobic and those that are hydrophilic. Hydrophobic baits tend to repel water, or at least resist water penetration into the baits. A prime example of a hydrophobic bait is one made from the standard thermoplastic polymer, polyvinyl chloride resin, dispersed in an organic primary plasticizer (often, but not exclusively, dioctyl phthalate), a secondary hydrocarbon extender, and stabilized with the metallic salts of zinc, cadmium, and barium. The materials used in these baits tend to resist water penetration into the bait and therefore minimize chemical communication between the bait and the surrounding water. In contrast, a hydrophilic bait is more water miscible, and hence water compatible, readily allowing for the deeper penetration and flow of water throughout the polymer matrix that makes up the bait. Examples of hydrophilic bait polymers include natural water miscible, yet water-insoluble polymers, such as proteins and carbohydrates derived from selected plants and animals, and non-natural, or synthetic, polymers such as resins made from polyvinyl alcohol. In many cases simple aqueous slurries of these polymers can be made by mixing a measured quantity of the polymer with water and applying gentle heat and stirring.
Recent commercial introductions of soft hydrophilic polymeric baits have demonstrated greater fish acceptance, and therefore higher fish catch rates, when compared to standard hydrophobic PVC plastic baits. This is especially true when the hydrophilic baits are adequately hydrated so as to possess a soft texture and exhibit sufficient flexibility as to have a good swimming action. The advantages of these baits are even greater when they are loaded with the chemical essence of an appealing food in such a way that they steadily release attractive odors and flavors.
Unfortunately, hydrophilic soft baits suffer the distinct disadvantage of rapidly losing moisture and drying out when exposes to air. If prolonged exposure occurs, this excessive rate of moisture loss eventually leaves the bait hard, stiff, and virtually unusable. The drying issue becomes particularly important when commercially packing hydrophilic soft baits, since even tiny air leaks in the package leads to the steady moisture loss in transit and during storage, possibly leading to baits that are unacceptably hard and stiff by the time they reach the shelf. Moreover, compared to PVC plastic, some hydrophilic polymers have a greater tendency to accept permanent shape distortions, or sets, when bent or forced from their original intended shapes. This deformation issue becomes particularly important in packaging hydrophilic baits. Soft hydrophilic baits that are forcibly pushed or crowded together in a package, as often occurs in dry-packs, tend to suffer significantly higher incidences of kinks, bends, and other shape distortions.
There exists a need, therefore, for an improved method of packaging soft hydrophilic polymeric baits. Specifically, there is a need for an improved packaging method wherein the soft hydrophilic polymeric baits are constantly bathed in fluid medium to maintain a desirable level of hydration so as to ensure proper bait softness and flexibility. Moreover, the advantages of this improved packaging method would be advanced further if the fluid medium was that of the natural juice or body fluid of an animal, or a synthetic simulation thereof, such that the hydrophilic soft baits could be passively charged with the essence of animal life and thereby increase their chemical appeal to fish. This would be especially true when the juices or body fluids are derived from those of common prey, such as baitfish, worms, insects, and shellfish, but the body fluids of some non-prey species can also be expected to offer chemical enhancement. Another advantage would be gained when the improved packaging allowed for the re-introduction of baits that have been chemically spent through normal use such that the baits could be “re-charged” with a fresh supply of appealing odors and flavors. Furthermore, the advantages of the improved packaging system would be advanced still further if the soft hydrophilic polymeric baits were suspended in sufficient fluid to reduce bait crowding and hence the resulting kinks, bends, and other physical distortions common to dry-packs.